Bad Decisions Archives • Choosing Figs

February 13, 2014

in Bad Decisions, England, Europe, London, relationships, Round the World, travel, United Kingdom

On boys, babies, deal breakers, and bad decisions.

"Fuck the future. It would've been nice to have you in my present for a little while." A heart in my hot chocolate at Little Goat. If I'm going to be alone, I'm going to need chocolate. I had been drunk the night before receiving that message, sitting outside a hostel in Laos at god knows what hour, after dodging another backpacker who kept trying to kiss me and take me back to his hotel room. Instead I broke free and walked home, alone, got out my laptop, and wrote to a boy I'd met at a hostel in Vietnam a few...

November 18, 2013

in Bad Decisions, Cork, Europe, Ireland, Round the World, travel

On Getting Robbed. On the Kindness of Strangers.

There are some shitty people in this world. Like the girl who checked into my hostel in Cork, in Ireland, who took my laptop and my credit card, who charged a train ticket and a hostel, who fled. But let's not focus on that person, OK? Because there are also some amazing people in this world. More amazing people than bad ones, I think. Like the manager of my hostel in Cork who let me use his phone to call and cancel my credit card. Who called the Garda (police) and helped talk to them with me. Like the receptionist who poured me a...

October 31, 2013

in Bad Decisions, Europe, Galway, Ireland, relationships, Round the World, sex, travel

When I woke up I was all alone, with a broken heart and a ticket home.

I already never wanted to leave. I'd only been in Galway for a couple of hours and had only made it down the main stretch of restaurants and shops. But I felt like I could stay there forever, trying out different pubs, listening to the live music that changed every few feet, drinking Guinness and Bulmers at a wooden bar, talking to some of the friendliest people in the world. There was something about the place. The way the light fell, creating dramatic shadows that stretched the full length of the blocks. The way rain water pooled in the crevices of the...

October 21, 2013

in Bad Decisions, blogging, conference, Dublin, Europe, Ireland, Round the World, TBEX, travel

#BadDecisions #TBEX

It was a sign. I wasn't supposed to go to Ireland. I wasn't supposed to go to TBEX - the travel blogging conference I had been holding a ticket for for months. I was supposed to turn around and stay home and stay far away from traveling to a part of the world I couldn't afford to travel to in the first place. I had reluctantly boarded the plane to Dublin, Ireland that afternoon and, when it took off, right on schedule, I thought, "this is it, I'm actually still doing this." I was actually still doing this. Half an...

September 5, 2013

in Bad Decisions, Colombia, Latin American Adventure, Medellin, Round the World, South America, travel

Scenes from Medellin, Colombia

On our first night in Medellin, Poli and I went to one of the concerts for Feria de las Flores. Near the beginning of the night the MC told the crowd to introduce yourself to the others around you. We said hello to a woman and her husband next to us and then throughout the night talked more (well, Poli mostly, as my Spanish is not good at all). When it started to rain they lent us an umbrella. And, before we left, the woman gave us her address and invited us over for lunch the next afternoon. The next day...

August 26, 2013

in Bad Decisions, Bogota, Colombia, Latin American Adventure, relationships, Round the World, sex, South America, travel

On (not falling in) love at first sight. (or, why does everyone hate on Bogota?)

It wasn't love at first sight. Of course, it rarely is. I arrived in Bogota on a Sunday afternoon, after an 8-hour bus ride from San Gil, and opted for a too-expensive taxi into town. Pointing to one of the recommended hostels in my Lonely Planet, I told the taxi driver, "Aqui." On the way, as we drove through the city, he reached back and locked my door and pointed to the other side for me to lock that one too. Watching out the window everything seemed slightly deserted, slightly dreary. When we arrived at the address in my guidebook, down one of...

Wednesday night party at Aqua Lounge in Bocas del Toro, Panama.

July 19, 2013

in Bad Decisions, Bocas del Toro, Central America, Latin American Adventure, Panama, relationships, Round the World, sex, travel

The three lies of Bocas del Toro.

1. I am not drinking tonight. I arrived in Bocas del Toro on the Fourth of July. In the morning, in Puerto Viejo, I watched Joey Chestnut break his hot dog eating record with the help of a vpn, a borrowed cable login, and espn.com, and I found myself missing home. Though, which home that was I'm not sure. And I realized that the two places in the world I wished I could be, no longer ever would be. I wished I was at Coney Island, which will never be the same because in this past year two of my favorite...

13 drink drinking challenge on Isla de Ometepe, Nicaragua

July 5, 2013

in Bad Decisions, Central America, Isla de Ometepe, Latin American Adventure, Nicaragua, Round the World, travel

That time my hostel had a free 13-drink drinking challenge…

My hostel in Ometepe had a 13-drink drinking challenge that was free for all guests on their fourth night. I wasn't really all that keen on attempting it but all my friends were doing it (peer pressure, anyone?) and, if nothing else, I figured I could stop after the first few and get drunk for free. In actuality two of the drinks weren't drinks. But since I'm "pure" as one of the guys put it the lovely bartender mixed me a couple of extra drinks for those rounds instead. And she might have promised me that she'd make me weaker drinks...

September 5, 2012

in Asia, Bad Decisions, El Nido, Life List, Philippines, relationships, Round the World, sex, travel

Life List #88: Go skinny dipping.

"When I met you I thought you were together," the Korean girl sitting across from Alex and I at the bar said, "you seemed really close." This was after we answered the other guy's question of "where did you two meet," with "at the hostel yesterday." And before a Danish guy's question of "is this your girlfriend?"...

August 17, 2012

in Asia, Bad Decisions, Boracay, Philippines, relationships, Round the World, sex, travel

The time is now.

I had some of the crazier nights I've had in a while while in Boracay. Nights where this suppressed dancer danced and sang all night long. Nights where we listened to acoustic music and drank happy hour Red Horses or two for one cocktails....

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